


Bend not Break

by Lolibat



Category: Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist
Genre: Based on Michael's description, Biblical References, Drabble, Gen, character piece, musings, phone fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-11-04 17:58:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10996029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lolibat/pseuds/Lolibat
Summary: "One who resembles God." "One who is like God." But who is God, really? He didn't know, yet he does his best to bear his burdens, to live up to those words. He holds his pride close to him, for God lets no weaknesses show, and neither can he.--A quick character piece on Michael the Archangel as he is portrayed in Makai Ouji, based on his character description.





	Bend not Break

Bend not break

 

"One who resembles God". "One who is like God." Those are heavy words to bear, a task that he can only try his best to live up to. So he holds his head up high and lifts his wings to the sky.

 

But who is God, really? A faceless being high upon the heavens, never to see anyone? An omniscient presence- never there but always watching? Even his words are delivered by his servants, and every angel is the same regardless of rank and age. But who is to say that God could not have had family, once upon a time? From where did God appear and where will he go at the end of all times?

 

For all his shining brilliance, Michael can't hope to understand God. Can't hope to live up to God. All he can do is try his best to manage the domain in His place. For what reason, he wasn't sure. Perhaps one day, he will be viewed upon favorably. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but bitterly think that he was as much of a puppet as any other, one made of feathers and light instead of clay.  

 

Still, he had family. He is mortal, as far as any of the older generation of supernatural beings are. But one by one, they slip and fall from his grasp. Raphael, one who was supposed to be his equal but has instead turned his head and willfully blinded himself to reality. All that is in his eyes and on his mind is God and his shining presence. He neglects his duties and doubly sinks everything on his equal's shoulders. In the end, he couldn't tell how disappointed Michael was in him. From behind the bars of his cage, Michael wondered if he even cared: to turn a blind eye even to this was to step upon the brotherhood they were supposed to have. But deep inside, he knew since a long time ago, that the Raphael he once knew was now no more than an empty shell without reason. He didn't know when he lost this brother, but he shoulders on his added burden and continues.

 

He once had a sun in his hands: an innocence beyond any other. Too bad it was the sun who too hot burned out too bright. In darkness, Gabriel slept until he turned to dust. He rests over Gabriel's empty coffin, world weary and hoping to hear that laugh just one more time, to see those bright eyes light up with joy. He remembers the time they spent frolicking in Heaven's gardens, of the stories Gabriel would bring back from the mortal world and their messages to and from God. What they have were supposed to last forever, but forever doesn't last. And so, he shoulders yet another's burdens on his wings- wings that were growing heavy and tired.

 

Of the cardinal four, the one to surprise him the most is Uriel. He was once mighty and cruel, dishing out God's justice as he fit. Yet he was the one to betray Him, to let Solomon go. For that, he had ripped out Uriel's many wings, ironically leaving only one. Even then, Michael thinks that surely, he doesn't regret his actions. He looks upon Solomon's reincarnation, a kid all bark and no bite. Just who is Solomon, to capture Uriel so? What captivates him so, that hundreds of years after his death, Uriel is still so enraptured? Why- when given heaven and hell in his hands, why would that mortal choose humanity? He couldn't understand, couldn't see what could possibly be more important than family. (But is this what family does to one another? A voice in the back of his mind asks. He had no answers. He only did what was best. It wouldn't do any good for an angel to be so attached to a mortal.) He curled up in a corner in his bird cage (a moment of satire from that puppet) and sees Uriel's single wing fluttering. He thinks of what might have happened or how this would all be different if he never ripped out Uriel's wings. If Uriel was the one taking charge, perhaps he would sleep more easily. Perhaps. But what is done is what is done, and he regrets nothing. He is Michael, the one who resembles God, and God makes no mistakes. And so he holds his head up high, even within this cage.

 

He reminisces about his once brother, his only blood related kin still alive. But even then, surely he must be near his death sleep as well. Once upon a time, they got along well. A very very long time ago, they laughed together. But power is only power, in the end, and Lucifer- "the Morning Star, the Light Bringer, the Shining One" fell to power like a moth around flame. He burned too brightly, consumed by ambitions beyond hope, and Michael was the one who struck him down. He struck down his own brother and his followers, and in rare moments of weakness that he allows himself, it is a bitter fact to swallow. Perhaps he didn't want to open that wound. Perhaps that is why he has put three realms and a world between them. If he buries his pains far enough away, will they go away? He lives without regret and holds his pride, but he'll die with the burdens he carries. 

 

Weakness and faith holds no place in Heaven. It is a battleground like any other, a place where politics translates to names and aimless deaths, where a simple push and a pull can drop one from Heaven to Hell. That is why, despite being a child whom Michael handpicked, Metatron will never be more than a clay puppet. From dust he was made and to dust he will return. Even thinking upon the name brings a sense of bitterness to Michael's thoughts. He took him early, from the seventh generation of Adam and Eve's children. The boy had great potential and was a dutiful scribe. A boy once called "Enoch", he walked with God and was taken by God. It was a close enough comparison, he supposed. In hindsight, he should have known that Adam and Eve's blood would run true- he would bite the hand that feeds him. It was from a moment of caution- a rightful one- that Michael laid upon him a curse. If he dies, the puppet dies with him, for puppets are but the extension of their master's will. And a puppet without a puppeteer is but useless.   And so, even his own handpicked child would betray him in this manner.

 

He was tired, bone weary and feeling more than just his age. As one of God's original creations, he was old and needed sleep. Yet he continues on, for God never sleeps and neither shall he. He is reminded of an old tale, from a land that he had conquered, of a foolish boy who made wax wings and flew too close to the sun. Hubris is what he called it. Foolishness was his first impression. Perhaps from within his iron cage, wisdom is what he would call it now. But nonetheless, he is Michael. And even if he falls, even if his light fades, even if he dies and joins his beloved in sleep, he will still be the one who resembles God. And he will break before he bends.

 

* * *

Mandy: took a break to type out a quick phone fic- ~1.2-1.3k words. Got into a new fandom (Makai Ouji- it's a good read manga-wise for anyone looking to pick up a new series. It sort of reminds me a bit of Kuroshitsuji and something else.) Anyways, just a quick character drabble about Michael. I didn't quite foresee what happened to him, but I do find it a bit funny that William somehow manages to collect supernatural beings despite not wanting to be involved in a single bit of it. And omg Sytri and Dantalion and Camio- I miss all their fun school days with William (right in the feels, author). Dantalion had better come back safe. :/


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